Disappointing, as the Lightning leave at least 1 point on the ice against a quality opponent.

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Anders Lindback allowed 5 goals on 26 shots for the loss. Maybe there were no softies tonight, but the same critique of Lindback applies. Playing a team as good as Pittsburgh, you need your goaltender to be more than, "not the reason you lost." He needs to make key saves at key times and be "one of the reasons you won."

What a horrific ending to a night that showed so much promise. The Lightning, on balance, played really well for 40 minutes in this game. The team really looked like they were skating well, playing crisp hockey, and looked like they could compete with an elite team like Pittsburgh. And then they came out flat as a pancake in the Third Period. The did manage to fight back to get a late goal to potentially salvage a point, but squandered that with a bad late penalty. It's a tough result for a young team like this to take after doing a lot of good things in this game.

Radko Gudas was -2 with 2 shots, 2 hits, and 1 blocked shot in 24:13. I think the minutes he received was more reflective of his play than the minus rating he ended up with.

Tyler Johnson had a helper, 2 shots, 1 hit, and he was 44% on draws in 14:04.

Alex Killorn had 1 goal and 1 assist, 4 penalty minutes, 2 shots, and 1 blocked shot in 21:17. Arguably, he was the Lightning's best player tonight.

Andrej Sustr had 1 shot and 1 hit in 12:19 as the Lightning coaching staff were careful to protect their rookie d-man from the likes of Crosby and Malkin. He played well in the minutes he had, but there was no reason to throw Andrej to the wolves.

Richard Panik had 2 assists, but was also -1 with 2 really bad penalty minutes to go along with 2 hits in 20:46. He's such a frustrating mixed bag. There were some ridiculous neutral zone turnovers, and then he turns around and makes a great hustle play to make up for it. He makes a great pass on the power play to Killorn to make a game tying goal and then takes a lazy, selfish tripping call that allows Pittsburgh to take the win. I'm absolutely torn with Panik, and I suspect the coaching staff is, too. He gets 20+ minutes of ice time and gets to play on the second line and on the PP because he has a wide-ranging skill set that allows him to affect the outcome of a game in numerous ways. Unfortunately, as we saw tonight, his game hasn't ripened yet and some of the ways he can affect a game aren't necessarily positive.

Pierre-Cedric Labrie had 2 hits in 4:05. This was probably the least effective game of the year for the 4th line.

Ben Bishop allowed 2 goals on 21 shots for the victory. Light work, to be sure, but his stop on an early First Period breakaway was one of those key saves you need in a game. He kept momentum off Florida's bench and helped pave the way for the soul-crushing humiliation yet to come.

Steven Stamkos, Valtteri Filppula, and Martin St. Louis were the game's three stars. This was a bigger 2 points than you might think. There's another murderer's row of games coming up over the next 5 games including the last three Stanley Cup champions with LA, Chicago, and Boston in the mix. The Lightning had to have 2 points tonight, and they crushed a chemistry-less Florida team exactly like they needed to.

Radko Gudas was +2 with 1 shot, 8 hits, and 1 blocked shot in 19:43. With the Lightning holding such a big lead, Gudas was playing with house money in the physical game.

Tyler Johnson had 2 shots, 2 hits, and was 63% on draws in 13:59. He looked good on the new line with Purcell and Palat and nearly had a couple of goals. World class speed was on display.

Alex Killorn had 2 assists and was +1 with 2 shots in 17:26. He looked good on the new line combo with Panik and Filppula, facilitating by being the digger who was hard in on the forecheck and also showing some deft passing touch. He could've had even more helpers tonight.

Ondrej Palat had a goal and was +1 with 3 shots and 2 hits in just 10:06. Had a few goal mouth thrills to go with his first tally of the season.

Andrej Sustr was +1 with 1 shot and 2 blocked shots in 16:03. Quiet, efficient game in a nice little comfort zone of minutes. I'll take more like those, please, as he continues to settle into the league.

Richard Panik was -1 with 2 penalty minutes and 3 hits in 17:10. Looked good on the forecheck, particularly early. Could've been a little better on Florida's second goal. Overall, it was an improvement. I'd like to see more giddy up in his first step. He looks a little sluggish to me.

Pierre-Cedric Labrie had 4 penalty minutes,3 hits, and 1 blocked shot in 8:45. Another solid day at the office for the 4th line.

Alex Killorn was the game's second star. Kudos to Buffalo's media for the homer choice to take 2 star selections in a losing cause. Kudos also to NBC Sports Network scrunch-faced-creep Keith Jones for calling the Lightning a "weak sister" team after the game. Keep sleeping on the Lightning while they gain experience and settle in. It's all good.

Buffalo's not good, so the Lightning needed to get the 2 points and needed to look pretty good doing it. And, for the most part, I thought they did. They outshot Buffalo 34-23 and had the lion's share of the scoring chances. The defense was more loosey goosey than in the first two games, and I'm sure Cooper will remind his young team not to play down to his competition by letting off their defensive system. Still, 2-1-0 to complete this murderous opening road trip is really good, and now they get 7 straight at home for their second mini-segment of the season. It's not an easy slate of opponents, overall, but if they come out of that over .500 then they'll stay in the hunt. My theory, for this season, is if the Lightning are in the hunt in early January they're going to be dangerous. Cooper will have everyone fully programmed and ready to rock by that point, and they'll be a threat. Getting through the first half of the season alive with such an inexperienced team is the trick. 3 games in, so far so good. Ben Bishop looking solid helps that out a lot. A LOT.

Radko Gudas was +1 with 9 penalty minutes, 2 hits, and 2 blocked shots in 21:35. His ice time went up with Sustr getting a night off, and I thought his game was his worst of the first 3 of the season. I like that he stuck up for Filppula in the First Period, but I thought he got a little lost at time in his d-zone and got de-jocked for a scoring chance at one point. He'll have games like this while he figures out how to be an NHLer.

Tyler Johnson had a goal and was +1 with 4 shots and 62% on draws in 14:29. In case you didn't believe Bolt Prospects when we said he had an NHL laser shot, please gander at the tape from his goal tonight. Zap.

Killorn had the winner and was +1 with 4 shots in 18:14. The line shuffling and lesser opponent allowed Alex to possess the puck more than in the first 2 games, and he paid the price to win it in overtime. Took a hit to get it in the zone and then showed ridiculous patience to switch to his backhand on the eventual finish. I think there might be some Chris Drury in Killorn. He scores big goals.

Ondrej Palat had a helper and was +1 with 4 shots and 3 hits in 14:08. That's the most comfortable Palat's looked so far this year. It helps when you're playing a bunch of the same guys to played against in Norfolk and Syracuse on the Sabres roster.

Pierre-Cedric Labrie had 2 penalty minutes and 1 hit in 8:53. Labrie and the 4th line were again, period-to-period, the most consistent Lightning line. You can count on Labrie, Thompson, and Crombeen, despite their athletic shortcomings, to generate forecheck and put some pressure on the opposing defense. When your 4th line can accomplish that for you, it's such a huge asset for a team because you don't have to lean on the other lines as much on nights they don't have it as much. Evidently Buffalo was chirping at Labrie all night about his skating or whatever. Hate to tell Buffalo, but Labrie's line was playing in their end all night long. So if Labrie sucks and his skating sucks, guess how much you clowns in Buffalo must stink if Nacho and his crew keep pinning you down in your end? Success is the best revenge.

Ben Bishop was tremendous, stopping 37 of 39 shots before blanking 3 of 3 shooters (and what shooters they are when you play Chicago) in the shootout for the win. There's your number one goaltender, folks.

Martin St. Louis and Ben Bishop were the game's first and third stars. Bishop would've been my first, second, and third stars of the game. Recall what I wrote after the Boston game: you need your goaltender to be a reason you steal games against superior opponents on the road in a spot like this. That's what Bishop did tonight. He was strong, poised, and confident, giving the Lightning time and the opportunity to come back and get the 2 points.

It took 5 periods of hockey, but the Lightning offense finally started to play with some energy in the Third Period. You could see it incrementally coming over the course of those 5 periods, but I think now in Buffalo in the next game out you'll see the early season fog is over. It may have been a product of guys thinking a bit and being tentative because they're settling into Cooper's defensive system, but I think the confidence they'll get from knocking off the Stanley Cup champs will go a long way to getting it going from here on out. You cannot overestimate the value of tonight's win. Looking at the schedule, I felt if the Lightning could steal 2 points out of Boston or Chicago, it'd be a huge bit of positive reinforcement of their work in camp, and there it is.

Much will be said about Chicago outshooting Tampa Bay 39-16 and out-chancing the Lightning by about a 3-1 margin, but I encourage you to compare how the Lightning did defensively with the tape of how Washington looked against the Blackhawks in their opener. Like in Boston, there was way more structure and poise defensively, and if they can get more offensive puck possession from here on out they'll be in excellent shape. Take that goofy bounce off the glass away, and the Lightning would've held Chicago to 1 goal tonight. Yeah, Bishop had to play really well to make that happen, but still. That's not too shabby for a team that has stunk to high heavens defensively the past 2 seasons.

Kudos and cookies tonight for Matt Carle and the 4th line, by the way. Carle was +1 in 24:38 tonight with a helper and was just as solid as you could want as a veteran d-man. And, for much of the night, the 4th line with Labrie, Crombeen, and Thompson was about the only line Tampa Bay had that was getting any forecheck. Thompson and Crombeen were also damned good on the PK, as well.

Radko Gudas was +1 with 1 shot, 4 hits, and 2 blocked shots in 22:45. He was a little tighter defensively than in the Boston game and continues to improve.

Tyler Johnson was 70% on draws in 15:03. The kid line was a little better than in Boston. They're still settling in, but they got more noticeable as a group in the Third Period. They need to be a little more poised when they try to pass the puck around, but they're getting there.

Alex Killorn was -1 with 2 penalty minutes and 3 shots in 17:22. I'm not sure he's a great fit for a line with Filppula and Purcell, because they're not exactly north-south guys and they don't share the puck easily. But, even with that impediment, Killorn was about the only guy getting pucks to the net through the first couple of periods.

Ondrej Palat had 1 blocked shot in 12:49. In the defensive third, he's been in good position and competent. From the Third Period in Boston through tonight, though, he's been too skittish in the other two zones. He needs to relax, because the past 4+ periods of hockey have been some of his worst with the puck that I've seen in the last 1-1/2 periods.

Andrej Sustr had 1 shot in 18:38. I'm happy to see him under 20 minutes with Salo back, and I'm enthralled to see him pass a pretty significant test by playing that many minutes against quality like Chicago can bring onto the ice.

Richard Panik played 10:53. Ho hum, right? Not exactly. He had a couple of key backchecks and actually created some chances that unfortunately got defused by blocked shots, but I thought he was significantly better than he was in Boston tonight.

Pierre-Cedric Labrie had 8 big hits in 8:46. You would have thought his skating would have been a bigger liability against Chicago than it was against Boston, but it wasn't. He and Thompson were the straws that stirred the drink on that 4th line.

Anders Lindback allowed 3 goals on 25 shots for the loss after earning the surprise start from Jon Cooper. Um, yeah, about that... when coach gives you a surprise nod, reward him. It's not that Lindback was overtly terrible and certainly you can't get too upset when the team in front of you gives up penalty shots. But, Lindback didn't step up and make the key saves you need in a tough game on the road, and his rebound control wasn't there tonight. In retrospect, you kind of wish Bishop was in there.

It's never fun to open up a season with a loss, and I think this was a frustrating game overall. There were good signs and there were bad signs, and I think as long as the team builds up from this they're probably going to be ok. The good news is that, up until late in the Third Period when they came a little unglued, they had way more structure and poise defensively than at just about any point over the past 2 years. That put them in a position to steal points in a really bad road draw in a place the Lightning never win despite getting ordinary goaltending, losing a top pair defenseman to injury before the game (Salo), and throwing a whole lot of young players out against a veteran Boston club. Shorthanded breakdowns should be correctable, and this would have been a 1-1 tie without them if you look at silver linings. Holding Boston to 25 shots in their barn is a huge improvement and they kept scoring chances down pretty well, too.

The bad sign was that the Lightning's first line did next to nothing tonight. Only a couple of sporadic scoring chances and nothing sustained, and the golden 2-on-1 that Stamkos and St. Louis had and flubbed in the Second Period turned out, in retrospect, to be a turning point of the game. Point blank, they've got to be better. The second line isn't going to be as good this season no matter how many zeros are on Filppula's paycheck. Stamkos and St. Louis have to create scoring chances consistently and bring the bacon home. Have to. And, in general, there were only a couple of players on the Lightning I can say honestly played up to their full potential: Sustr and Labrie. That's about it. Everyone else can play a little better than they did tonight, which is a negative but also should tell them that there's considerable room to grow and get better, too.

This opening road trip is awful for the Lightning. The schedule makers could not have drawn up a worse script for the team. So, I wasn't expecting miracles right out of the gate. The key thing is to improve game to game, steal some wins here and there to get the positive reinforcement, and hang in there until December-January when I expect everything will really start to click.

Radko Gudas was -1 with 7 penalty minutes and 5 hits in 17:27. He got himself caught in no-man's land a couple of times coverage-wise in the Third Period, but the ill-advised pinches weren't there tonight like they were last season and the physical game you love was. So, modest improvement, but needs to be better still.

Mark Barberio was +1 with 1 shot in 16:26. The young man was a skating dumpster fire in the first half of the game. Made a terrible play that led to the shorthanded penalty shot and got absolutely undressed on a play where a quick referees whistle saved a goal that probably would've counted otherwise. The second half of the game he was less noticeable, which was an improvement, but when you make me long for Keith Aulie, we have problems.

Tyler Johnson was -2 with 3 shots, 1 blocked shot, and he was 61% on draws in 15:46. His line had small spurts throughout the game, but not the sustained level of play experienced in the preseason. I think they need to simplify and play more north-south next time out. Less curly-ques, please.

Alex Killorn had a helper and was +1 with 1 shot, 1 hit, and 2 blocked shots in 15:10. He can play a lot better. His line needs to earn puck possession more so he can have the chance to play his north-south game. He just didn't have the puck very much.

Ondrej Palat was -1 with 1 shot, 1 hit, and 1 blocked shot in 13:11. I thought he played his usual poised game until the Third Period when I saw him throw a puck away rather than calmly carry it to open ice, which is so unlike Palat it's jaw-dropping.

Andrej Sustr was -1 with 3 shots and 1 blocked shot in 20:03. I thought he played above his experience level. There were moments he was a little deer-legged skating-wise and got himself caught out of position, but he filled in well with Salo out. No way in hell do I want him playing 20 minutes a night at his age, and he's very likely to get hurt and worn out with a steady diet of that right now. But, for just tonight, fairly impressive outing.

Richard Panik was -2 with 3 hits and 1 blocked shot in 15:10. Of all the kids, other than maybe Barberio, I found his night the most disappointing. He botched the play that led to the second shorthanded goal against and, in general, he just seemed a step slow to the puck, soft when he got there, and that contributed to zero shots and no real scoring chances. Brother, if you want to be in the AHL real quick, keep that up. Brett Connolly is a phone call away.

Pierre-Cedric Labrie had 5 penalty minutes, 1 shot, 2 hits, and 1 blocked shot in 8:36. I thought he played his role fairly well tonight. He fought when he needed to and created a couple of chances with his size around the opposing net. He still can't skate a lick, so he's a defensive liability if he gets caught out on the ice so Cooper needs to be very conscious about that. But, in general, I thought he played his role and to his potential tonight, which is more than I can say for most of the team.